Thursday, December 19, 2013

Paradise

Thanks to Grandpa & Grandma, we got to take an amazing vacation this month...to Hawaii!! It's been on Grandma's bucket list to have all of her grandchildren in Hawaii together, and since 2 of her grandchildren are currently living there...now was the perfect time! We spent 2 weeks on O'ahu and not a single one of us wanted to come home to COLD Kansas!! There are over 100 pictures in this post, but it's only a fraction of what I took! :) These are my favorites...

Looking out at the harbor while we waited for Aaron & I's dinner cruise.

The pineapples in Hawaii are indescribable. SO GOOD! I thought I'd had some really good pineapples before...not even close. I'm kicking myself for not bringing some back with us!

On our dinner cruise, we took a tour along Waikiki Beach and around Diamonhead (on the right). It was amazing to look out and see the rain coming down back on the island.

Daddy and Isaac, chillin' on the lanai at Uncle Erick's house.

A few days after we arrived, Aaron and his brother ran the Honolulu Marathon! I am so proud of him!! He finished in about 5 hours (I cannot even fathom running for 5 hours!). He had the busiest season at work for 2 months before we left, so he wasn't able to train as much as he needed/wanted to but he still did awesome!!

The kids and I had an early morning and loooooong walk to get to the finish line. They were troopers. We probably had about a 30 minute walk from where we could park to near the finish line. I wore Isaac in the Boba most of the walk (that thing was SUCH a lifesaver!), but Anna and Jacob were on their own. We were so excited to see Daddy finish.

We also got to visit Hickam, the base where Aaron's dad was stationed when they lived in Hawaii. I have to say, that has to be the most beautiful base in the world. This is the view from the Officer's Club on the lanai. Stunning. There are even still bullet holes in some of the buildings on base from Japan's attack on Dec. 7, 1941.

Looking out into Pearl Harbor.

Pearl Harbor

Flags at half-mast in honor of Nelson Mandela with the missing man formation memorial in the background.

Bird of Paradise. The foliage is stunning in Hawaii.

The missing man formation memorial.

Hickam Harbor. My kids absolutely loved the ocean.

We also spent a week at Bellows Beach. On our way there, we took the scenic route and saw some incredible scenery.

This was right next to the blowhole. Unfortunately, we were there at low tide, so we didn't get to see it blow.

Bellows Beach. There is nothing to break the waves as they come into shore, so it's a perfect place for boogie boarding. Jacob had NO qualms about heading straight out and letting the waves pound him. He LOVED it!!

Anna was a lot more cautious and spent a lot of time closer to shore, playing with Isaac.

Sunrise at Bellows

Aaron had a lot of fun boogie boarding. He would have stayed out all day, every day if he could have!

The marathon finishers! This was in our condo at Bellows.

Bacon lover! This brought up the story of Aaron, Erick, and their cousin Tony having breakfast at their Grandpa Wallman's one morning and each of them ate a pound of bacon! Isaac could easily come close to that at 3! He loves his bacon!!

The island on the left is called the Chinaman's Hat.

Bellows Beach is used for training exercises by the Marines (Kaneohe, a Marine base, is not far from Bellows). The majority of the beach is closed to civilians. There is a small portion that is opened to the public on weekends only. The rest of it is open to military 7 days a week. They have everything from tent camping, to rustic cabins (no electricity or water), to bungalows right next to the beach, to the new condos a bit farther back from the beach. Grandpa & Grandma had a bungalow and the rest of us each had a condo. Very nice accommodations!

Another sunrise at Bellows.

Those are clouds, not mountains. Breathtaking sunrises!

It was quite a feat getting all of the grandchildren (and Grandpa! ;) hehe!) to cooperate and get a good picture. But we got a couple of them! :)

There may have been some bribing involved....

Another day playing at the beach!

Isaac and Toby, being silly and stomping around in the sand.

Isaac had fun playing "Here Comes the Big One" with Daddy and Anna :)

Jacob just had so much fun. It was a joy watching him!

The footprint pic was Aaron's idea. :)

Building a sandcastle with Daddy.

FINALLY, on the last full day we had at Bellows, Anna and Jacob tried boogie boarding. They had a blast!! Anna and I wiped out pretty good a couple of times, but she was brave and kept at it. She even got to the point where she was doing it on her own on the small waves closer to shore.

Isaac, Grandma, and Jacob (he decided to "paint" himself with the lovely red dirt before we went to the beach that morning. I promise we bathed while there...)

Jacob (with help from Daddy) and Anna catching a wave.

Off he goes!

Even Grandma got on the boogie board! :)

John, Aaron, & Erick catching a wave.

Sheer joy after being hammered by a wave. Jacob's face looked just like Aaron's...

This was pretty much his permanent expression the entire time at the beach!

Jacob LOVED this!

Aaron and Erick with Bill...a family friend. Bill's family was stationed at Hickam the same time Aaron's family was and they lived side by side in a duplex. Aaron said every night, he would knock on his bedroom wall and tell Bill goodnight. :)

Isaac loved the "big ships". The Arizona Memorial was incredible. Hallowed ground. And the kids all did so great-they were quiet and respectful.

Isaac and John, looking at the wreckage under water.

We also went to Hickam Harbor a couple of times. The water is much calmer there so Isaac was able to really get in the water and enjoy it.

My little Hawaiian girl :) She really wants to live in Hawaii.

Her favorite Hawaiian dress.

Christmas at Uncle Erick & Aunt Jicks' house. 3 of the kids play the piano so they all took turns playing their songs :)

We had to take a family picture at "the" palm tree. This is the same spot that Aaron's family took pictures some 30+ years ago! The palm tree was much shorter back then ;)

Hickam Harbor with Diamonhead in the background.

The palm is just a bit bigger than the last Wallman family picture!

This might be my favorite picture from the whole trip.

We also took a whale watching cruise! The kids got to help the naturalist with his demonstration. This is the size of a whale at birth...15 feet!!

Waiting to spot a whale...

Instead we spotted several pods of spinner dolphins! And they came right up close to our boat!

After the cruise, we drove up to Punchbowl (a national cemetery). Breathtaking.

Our last day in Hawaii and we spent most of it at Hickam Harbor.

I have lots more pictures to share :) But this is all I have time for right now!

My Kids

About Me

First I am a daughter of the King of kings! Wife to a wonderful man and mama to four adorable kids--Anna, Jacob, Isaac, and Grace! Raising them is my job. God has been pulling me out my comfort zone with homeschooling and cloth diapering, as well as trying much harder to live an over-all healthier lifestyle. Now I'm one of *those* moms! :)